Blood Upon His VISR
Blood Upon His VISR is a song favored by certain units within the , adapted from a centuries-old hymn called Blood Upon the Risers that was sung by paratroopers as far back as the second World War. The version known as Blood Upon His VISR is used by the 7th Battalion and elements of the 11th Battalion, but others such as the 10th have their own adaptions. The ballad tells the story of a rookie "Helljumper" whose pod fails during an orbital insertion, referred to by troopers as "digging your own grave" when the pod hits the ground, a fate all ODSTs fear. History Blood Upon the Risers originated with the ' Army Airborne Divisions in the early 1940s, whose paratroopers were among the first precursors to the ODSTs. It was something of an adaption itself being written to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic, but which unit it actually came from remains a matter of dispute. The song persisted just as the paratroopers did, whom had proved the value of their concept in the war and continued to exist as a part of many nations' standing armies. More than a few translations were created, and the song managed to survive the integration of Earth's armies during the formation of the and despite differing nationalities and languages. In December of 2163, the same year the UNSC was formed, the first extra-terrestrial deployment of Marines took place during the on , leading to the creation of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as Marines trained specifically for the task of ground-to-space deployments. After the end of the in 2170, however, ODST units were seldom used as attention shifted to the problems of overpopulation and famine, and it wasn't until the beginnings of the Insurrection in the 2490s that Blood Upon His VISR and other adaptions became popular when demand for the specialized troops expanded their ranks. The songs have constantly changed to suit changing subjects, parachutes turning to and Insurrectionists gave way to the Covenant as their enemy, resulting in the already-dissonant versons growing farther apart. All, however, continue to share a common chorus to this day. Lyrics :He was just a rookie trooper and he surely shook with fright :He checked off his equipment and made sure his pack was tight; :He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar, :"You ain't gonna drop no more!" :(CHORUS) :Glory, glory, what a hell of a way to die, :Glory, glory, what a hell of a way to die, :Glory, glory, what a hell of a way to die, :And he ain't gonna drop no more! :"Is everybody happy?" cried the Sergeant looking up, :Our Hero feebly answered "Yes," and then they stood him up; :He jumped into the icy black, his pod went hurlin’ down, :And he ain't gonna drop no more. :(CHORUS) :He counted long, he counted loud, he waited for the shock, :He felt the heat, he felt the Gs, he felt the awful drop, :The ‘mbrella jerked and broke away, the jets propelled him on, :And he ain't gonna drop no more. :(CHORUS) :The straps constricted 'round his neck, the shielding burned away, :The heat within his pod began to cook him like an egg; :His pod became his coffin and he hurtled to the ground. :And he ain't gonna drop no more. :(CHORUS) :The days he'd lived and loved and laughed kept running through his mind, :He thought about the girl back home, the one he'd left behind; :He thought about the medic corps and wondered what they'd find, :And he ain't gonna drop no more. :(CHORUS) :The ambulance was on the spot, the ‘Hogs were running wild, :The medics jumped and screamed with glee, rolled up their sleeves and smiled, :For it had been a day or two since last a pod had failed, :And he ain't gonna drop no more. :(CHORUS) :Now down below, unknown to him, a fight was raging on, :The Covies, they had called a Wraith, and men were ‘bout to die, :His pod fell in, a howlin' loud, directly for the tank, :And he ain’t gonna drop no more. :(CHORUS) :He hit the Wraith, the sound was " ," the shrapnel went up high, :The Covies, they were heard to say, "A hell of a way to die!" :He’d killed the Elites and wrecked the tank, and saved the damned marines, :And he ain't gonna drop no more. :(CHORUS) :(slowly, solemnly) :There was blood upon his VISR, there were brains all o’er his boots, :Intestines were a'dangling from his oh-dee-es-tee suit, :The Captain watched him took away, said he’s a hero through’n’through, :And he ain't gonna drop no more! :Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, :Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, :Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die, :And he ain't gonna drop no more! Procedure The hymn is most often sung by troopers during orbital insertions, on rest at a military base, or even in lulls on the battlefield. Because different ODST units are commonly called to work together, a way of avoiding confusion with the song became established. The 'hosting' unit would call upon one of its officers or NCOs to sing the verses of their own version, with everyone joining in the chorus, though often the other unit or units of rowdy Helljumpers will respond with their own to show themselves superior. Both the 7th and 11th Battalions adopted this particular version, using it for a marching hymn, during drops, and occasionally in field burials, with each claiming to have come up with it originally. Other versions included Blood Upon the Pod Door, sung by Alpha Company of the 10th Battalion, otherwise known as "Cielo's Chameleons," while the 3/5 Shock Troopers had their own version called Blood Upon Her Armor, which changed the protagonist to female. See Also *Blood Upon The Pod Door *Blood Upon the Risers Category:Music